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Saturday, September 15, 2012

Sweet Saturday: Oatmeal Carmelita Bars

Happy Saturday, my crafty friends! Feeling snacky? :o)

Yesterday I made a treat for my sweetheart who loves oatmeal, chocolate, and caramel. I showed him the recipe months ago and instantly knew I would surprise him with it eventually. I'm happy to say he loved it as much as anticipated! And yes, it does taste as good as it looks...
Gooey chocolate and caramel beneath a marvelous oatmeal crumb topping makes for one tasty bar cookie! (And it starts with an oatmeal shortbread crust. Yum.) The recipe is simple, but the result is quite rich. Every flavor shines individually, while collectively they make any chocolate-caramel lover swoon. :o) My family and I don't particularly love nuts in desserts, so I omitted them and added extra chocolate chips. You can never have too much chocolate. ;) I sent most of these home with my sweetheart, which gives me warm fuzzies. It's no fun only seeing him on his days off, but it helps when I can supply him with sweet confections baked with love. :o) A seasonal delight is up next!

Thank you for twirling on by! I wish you a weekend sparkling with all things beautiful. :o)

Oatmeal Carmelita Bars
Yield: 24 bars

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1½ cups light brown sugar
2 cups quick-cooking oats
14 ounces caramel candies, unwrapped
½ cup evaporated milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ยบ F. Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until combined and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until fully incorporated. Add the oats and mix on low speed briefly just to combine.

Transfer approximately half of the dough mixture to the baking dish. Spread and press the dough into the baking dish until you have an even layer with no cracks or crumbles. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven.

While the dough is baking, combine the evaporated milk and caramels in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir the mixture constantly until all the caramels are melted and you have a thick sauce. Allow to cool until the cookie base comes out of the oven.

Once out of the oven, sprinkle the cookie base evenly with chocolate chips and pecans. Carefully pour the caramel sauce over the cookie base, chocolate, and nuts. Use an offset spatula to spread the caramel sauce into an even layer.

Sprinkle the remaining cookie dough over the top of the caramel-chocolate-nut mixture a handful at a time, making sure to get an even coating over the entire dish.

Return the dish to the oven, baking until the topping is lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

Once out of the oven, cool the dish to room temperature and then refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Source: Brown Eyed Baker

10 comments:

  1. Looks so yummy!!! So happy your hubby liked it! Thank you for the recipe, I have to make these!

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  2. Yum yum - I'm glad you DH loved it.
    TFS Karen - your are so generous!
    I will drool over it~

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  3. Oh. My. Gosh. YUMMMMMM!!! These sound delicious!! I want some!! I so wish we lived closer...I would constantly be raiding your kitchen ;) I hope you are having a great weekend my dear, sweet friend :)

    Lisa
    A Mermaid's Crafts

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  4. i pray you have a "beautiful" weekend with your family (hoping your dad is feeling better)... i am sure your sweetheart was pleasantly surprised with your Oatmeal Carmelita Bars.. hugs from ukiah

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  5. Oh gosh, l'm going to have to make some of these they look gorgeous xx

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  6. yummy yummy want that in my tummy...tfs the recipe!

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  7. Oh, these DO look and sound delicious!! I'm a sucker for anything with caramel and chocolate together!! I'm not surprised that your hubby loved them.
    Karen, thank you so very much for popping by my blog to ask about Jack. That means so very much to us and we really do appreciate your concern far more than you'll ever realize. It's been a tough couple of weeks, but Jack is doing much better. His wounds are beginning to dry so look so much better than they did. He still requires regular nursing care for the open wounds and will have to go through physiotherapy for the fracture as well. BUT, he's getting better by the day and has improved a great deal over the past few days. We are so incredibly thankful for the improvement that we've seen thus far.
    I have to tell you that I made your lemon cookie recipe. It's a hit!! I surprised Jack with the cookies and he gave them a "delicious" rating!! Thanks so much for sharing that recipe. The timing was perfect as I've been trying to do as many little extras for my guy as possible as life is a bit boring for him right now. Thanks for sharing the recipe and being a spark in our lives. xox

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  8. mmmm... yum, yum, just pinned this to Pinterest - I will have to have a go at this very soon.
    Hugs
    Suzie xx

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  9. Wow! Chocolate and caramel and oatmeal?! Perfect combination! Looks delicious! Thanks for the recipe! :)

    Karen
    craftedwithlovebykaren.blogspot.com

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  10. I NEED CARAMELITA BARS NOWWWWWWWWW!!! *giggles cause I love saying caramelita...it sounds so fancy and pretty*

    GASP! I haven't been able to stop drooling since you made these, Sunshine. I have been craving something caramel non-stop ever since! SQUEEE! Look at how chocolately amazing these are! I hope you know that I am beyond jealous of your family because they got to devour these beauties and I didn't. ARRGGG!!! TEE HEE!

    *huggles all your super happy followers in super happy caramelita bar hugs today* YAY!!!

    I don't know whether to thank you sis for making all our tummies grumble in happiness over your gorgeous creation or not speak to you for an entire week for torturing us with what we can't have but only stare at. TEE HEE HEE!!! *giggles and tosses caramels at you* I wanna make these today!!!!!!! *dances*

    I SO LOVE MY SIS!!!!!!!!

    *forever squishy Sweet Saturday huggles for my Ultimate Chef Sparkles*
    ~~~ Christina :)

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Thank you for leaving some love! Have a beautifully blessed day. :o)

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